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Monday, August 27, 2012

To buy or not to buy?

Isn't that always the question?

Here's my dilemma. I'm in a redecorating frenzy, and I'm changing every room in the house, but I really don't want to spend much on the grandsons' playroom. I almost gave in and bought another Gus piece from my SIL the other day. Honestly, though, with one boy not quite three and the other just a little over a year and a half, do I really want to invest a lot of money in that room? There are still a lot of spills and messes just waiting to happen.

Right now I have an early 50s sofa and chair set upholstered in that indestructible nylon fabric made to resist a nuclear blast. It's a solid brown, and while it may not be the prettiest piece of furniture in the house, it's highly functional. The boys love making forts with the pillows, and I love that it's survived unscathed through hundreds of diaper changes, a number of leaky sippy cups and various and sundry supplies that have mysteriously made their way from the art table to the cushions. (Holden says, "Maybe Bubby did it, Grammo!" Grayson is starting to talk, so he'll be able to counter-blame soon.)

I've made a few changes in that room so far...a different rug and pillows and pictures...and I plan to get a new lamp or two from my SIL in the next few days. The rug is a moss green with muted multicolored squares scattered across it, including a couple of shades of orange and a teal and a gold that I plan to play on. It also has some cream colored squares.

I've located a really inexpensive chair and ottoman locally, and while I'm not a big fan of the striped upholstery and don't have any immediate plans to have it recovered, the orange/gold/brown/cream would coordinate with the existing furniture and rug and give me something super-comfortable to sit in while hanging out with the kiddos...and I wouldn't really care if they crawled up in it with sticky hands. The chair is in excellent condition, and the fabric is spotless. I actually like the lines of the piece better than I like the sofa and chair I already have. It's just the stripes I'm iffy about...but that could easily be changed, I suppose, if I couldn't learn to live with them.

So how do you vote? Workable or not?



To buy or not to buy?

21 comments:

  1. With some orange and some cream around it, it could definitely work. And the shape and look are great. If it were me, I'd buy it.

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    1. The style of the piece really appeals to me, and I think I could make it work...at least temporarily.

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  2. It looks like a really comfy chair Dana - perfect for the kind of use it's going to get in the kiddos playroom. Just remember it's not forever, although in saying that, I quite like it. The design, and the stripes. I say buy it.

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    1. Yes, I know myself. If I get it home and can't stand the stripes, I'll have it at our reupholsterer's shop in a heartbeat and to heck with being frugal...LOL I really like the design.

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  3. Hmmmm...that's a tough one. the lines are great, but personally I think the stripes detract from it. I'd buy it if you plan on recovering it at some point

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    1. I agree that those stripes are totally wrong for the chair, but I already have three bolts of fabric waiting in the wings for just such an emergency...LOL

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  4. Go for it! I'm not a fan of the striped fabric, but with the right throw pillow on it, & your other new decor, I think it would fit in well. The shape is great, and when you're feeling a little more "flush" and the grand kids are older, think of the fun you'll having choosing new fabric!

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    1. The bulk of my redecorating money is being spent in my living room right now...new sofa, pillows, rug and lots of accessories. I was going to limit the bedroom to a new comforter, shams and rug...and then I was going to just move things from one room to another for a new look in the rest of the house. This new chair was a total afterthought. There always seem to be afterthoughts with me...LOL

      Although it's totally impractical to have the chair recovered while the boys are so young, I know myself. Contingency plans are often put into action around here, because patience isn't my strong suit. :)

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  5. OMG-that word verification! I had to try 4 times before I got the letters right and the comment published! Here I go again, but you should know since it affects the comments you are left.

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    1. I know what you mean! I've been having a terrible time with the word verification on other blogs. Does it seem like they've made them harder to read recently? I just changed my settings and took word verification off. It really is too much of a nuisance.

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  6. Buy it! I don't even mind the stripes. The chair has beautiful lines and looks really comfortable. Not having to worry about sticky hands or leaky sippy cups makes it all the better.

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    1. I can't say that I'll ever make it to the point where the stripes don't jar me, but it's nice to know I'm not married to the fabric and will be on pins and needeles when the boys are near it. I may even start saying, "C'mon over here and wipe your hands on the arm of this chair, sweetie." Nothing like a good excuse to reupholster, huh?

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  7. Meh. I'll be honest and say it's not exactly my favorite. It looks like a decent chair, but the stripes really put me off. Now, if it were moss green, orange, or grey I'd be all over it. That said, if you are looking for a comfy chair that you don't mid getting all gunked up, this looks like it would fit the bill and it'd hold up 10x better than anything new.

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    1. I'm with you completely about the stripes...but I have two bolts of orange fabric and one bolt of green already on hand to recover it if the stripes really make me crazy. With two small kids up in my lap and playing all around me, I'm going to try to put off that expense as long as I can, but knowing myself pretty well, I probably won't hold out long.

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  8. It reminds me of Frazier's Dad's chair from the TV show Frazier.

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  9. I say Buy It Dana! It looks super comfy. I reckon it's a winner.

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    1. I did! It's home but not in the house yet. As soon as it cools off a little more, I'll tackle getting it out of the back of my Jeep.

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  10. Honestly, not too crazy about it. I'd say step on the brakes.

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    1. Too late...:) For better or worse, I have it now. I'd say the upholstery qualifies as "worse," but the quality and comfort are the best. I think I'll really have something nice when I eventually recover it. For now, it's just going to have to be the ugly duckling with swan potential. :)

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